308 Diseases of Poultry 



tliousands of eg<][s and occasionallx- contains some embryos. 

 The eggs are not laid but escape when the body of the female 

 is ruptured. This may take place with the decomposition 

 of the worm or the body may be torn by the coughing of the 

 bird. The eggs may develop and grow to adult worms within 

 the trachea of the same bird. The worms, eggs and embryos 

 are often coughed up. Sometimes they are swallowed and 

 then some of the eggs and embryos may be passed with the 

 feces. The worms coughed up are eagerly eaten by the 

 same or other birds and the ova and embryos are often taken 

 with contaminated food and drink. Developing embryos 

 have been found in earth worms living in infected poultry 

 yards, and these will cause gapes if fed to chicks. 



The eggs and embryos need only warmth and moisture to 

 develop. Eggs may develop in the digesti^'e organs. It is 

 not known how the embryos reach the trachea from the 

 digestive organs. A large number of those eaten never reach 

 the trachea but are either digested or voided with the feces. 

 Salmon says : " Although there are some thousands of eggs 

 in the adult worms, 10 to 15 worms have been fed to a single 

 chicken, and, as a result, not over 4 or 5 embryos would 

 reach and develop in the trachea." i\.ccording to Theobald, 

 Pvhler found copulated worms where several of the females 

 were full of eggs 10 days after feeding ova to healthy chicks. 

 Wet clay soils are especially favorable to the gape worms, 

 and they thrive best in warm, wet weather. 



Treatment. — In eradicating the disease it is important to 

 isolate all affected birds so that the worms and ova coughed 

 up or voided with the excrement may not be eaten by the 

 other chicks or contaminate the food, drink, and the ground 

 of the runs. Burn the bodies or at least the heads and necks 

 of all dead birds. The feed troughs and water dishes should 

 be scalded and the houses and coops disinfected. Use 

 potassium permanganate in the drinking water. If possible 



